Better Things To Do

July 28, 2016 at 4:25 p.m.

By -

Editor, Times-Union:

Mr. Eppenbaugh should follow his own advice and read his own letters. When someone prefaces a remark with the words "I know," that indicates to me a degree of certitude of the comments to follow. Mr. Eppenbaugh, unless someone believes that racism and being a proponent of segregation are qualities worthy of admittance to heaven, one can surmise you believe Wilson and Goebbels are in hell. Those are the only two options. Now, I'm so done with this topic.

Your July 5 letter states, "The government needs to cut Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid, HUD and so on." Your July 19 letter states in part, "allowing the elderly to keep their Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid, but at the same time allow younger Americans to save for their retirements without the government taxing it." So which is it? Are you saying, "I want my benefits, but the hell with the rest of you?"

The Fair Tax you speak so highly of is anything but fair. Someone making minimum wage earns a little more than $15,000 per year. If this person needs to buy a new refrigerator that costs $1,000, this purchase uses up 6.7 percent of their income. A person making $100,000 per year, purchasing the same refrigerator would only pay one percent of their income. How is this fair? The Fair Tax would be especially harmful to low income workers, families with children and single moms. But you don't seem to care about them, do you?

I am not upset with Glennzilla for voicing disagreement with the government. I'm not very happy with it either. My problem is his noxious message that the concept of social and economic justice is somehow evil. I have no intention of calling Beck for the same reason, I assume, the White House doesn't. To do so would legitimize his viciousness. Why doesn't Beck leave his comfort zone, go on c-span's Washington Journal and field questions from callers?

You ask how the poor would suffer without social programs? Surely you jest. Even with these programs in place we have at least 3.5 million homeless, 15 percent of American households, or 32.2 million people have inadequate food supplies, 15.6 percent of whom are children. Nearly 40 million people live below the poverty line, 12.9 million of which are children. Personal bankruptcies hit in all time high in 2009, up 32 percent from 2008. Two-thirds of those were from medical costs, 75 percent of those having had insurance. Take a look at the number of fundraisers in the paper for people with life threatening illnesses and their families. While the community is to be applauded for their generosity and may keep a family in their home and food on the table for a time, it does little to defray several hundreds of thousands of dollars of medical bills. The Northern Indiana Food Bank is begging for donations because their shelves are bare and the need is so great. So imagine, sir, what would happen to these people if there were no social programs. Do you not understand how they would suffer. If we can, as you say, "Take care of our own," we are not doing a very good job.

And, Linda dear, we've already plowed this ground before and I haven't the inclination nor temperament to plow it again. I will let you and Mr. Eppenbaugh have the last word. I have far better things to do with my time.

Janet Collins

Etna Green

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Editor, Times-Union:

Mr. Eppenbaugh should follow his own advice and read his own letters. When someone prefaces a remark with the words "I know," that indicates to me a degree of certitude of the comments to follow. Mr. Eppenbaugh, unless someone believes that racism and being a proponent of segregation are qualities worthy of admittance to heaven, one can surmise you believe Wilson and Goebbels are in hell. Those are the only two options. Now, I'm so done with this topic.

Your July 5 letter states, "The government needs to cut Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid, HUD and so on." Your July 19 letter states in part, "allowing the elderly to keep their Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid, but at the same time allow younger Americans to save for their retirements without the government taxing it." So which is it? Are you saying, "I want my benefits, but the hell with the rest of you?"

The Fair Tax you speak so highly of is anything but fair. Someone making minimum wage earns a little more than $15,000 per year. If this person needs to buy a new refrigerator that costs $1,000, this purchase uses up 6.7 percent of their income. A person making $100,000 per year, purchasing the same refrigerator would only pay one percent of their income. How is this fair? The Fair Tax would be especially harmful to low income workers, families with children and single moms. But you don't seem to care about them, do you?

I am not upset with Glennzilla for voicing disagreement with the government. I'm not very happy with it either. My problem is his noxious message that the concept of social and economic justice is somehow evil. I have no intention of calling Beck for the same reason, I assume, the White House doesn't. To do so would legitimize his viciousness. Why doesn't Beck leave his comfort zone, go on c-span's Washington Journal and field questions from callers?

You ask how the poor would suffer without social programs? Surely you jest. Even with these programs in place we have at least 3.5 million homeless, 15 percent of American households, or 32.2 million people have inadequate food supplies, 15.6 percent of whom are children. Nearly 40 million people live below the poverty line, 12.9 million of which are children. Personal bankruptcies hit in all time high in 2009, up 32 percent from 2008. Two-thirds of those were from medical costs, 75 percent of those having had insurance. Take a look at the number of fundraisers in the paper for people with life threatening illnesses and their families. While the community is to be applauded for their generosity and may keep a family in their home and food on the table for a time, it does little to defray several hundreds of thousands of dollars of medical bills. The Northern Indiana Food Bank is begging for donations because their shelves are bare and the need is so great. So imagine, sir, what would happen to these people if there were no social programs. Do you not understand how they would suffer. If we can, as you say, "Take care of our own," we are not doing a very good job.

And, Linda dear, we've already plowed this ground before and I haven't the inclination nor temperament to plow it again. I will let you and Mr. Eppenbaugh have the last word. I have far better things to do with my time.

Janet Collins

Etna Green

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